Rest Here Brother
by PoisonBones
Summary: Set during THoH. The switching between Roman and Greek, has made Apollo ill, but instead of being able to rest on Olympus, he must stay and watch for trouble above Artemis' camp. But when Artemis finds him, sick and shaking, will she care for him? Or will she throw him out like back door garbage? Rated T for brief language and sexual references.


**Hello! My first appearance of 2015, can I get a whoop-whoop?! …No? Okay... **

**Anyway, I've literally been thinking about writing this since The Son of Neptune came out, and I have finally put to paper, so here you go my dearests, please follow, favorite, and review.**

** -PoisonBones**

Apollo leaned his head back against the head piece of his seat. The sun chariot was currently in the form of a 918 Spyder, and the topless vehicle allowed the cool night air to wash over his face in soothing waves, slightly lowering the repetitive urge to vomit. He was stationed above the redwood forest in California, as to search for titan movement. Apollo found this ridiculous, for any person in their right mind knew that the titans were in the east, but he also knew that Zeus was actually hardly concerned about the titans, he was more worried about Artemis. Zeus had permitted Artemis permission to go on the annual boar hunt with her huntresses. However, the hunt took several weeks to prepare for, and Zeus would not have his most precious virgin daughter left un-attended for such a long time. But instead of simply having the huntresses prepare the hunt, and only letting Artemis out for the actually event, he was making Apollo watch over the camp day and night to protect her. Normally, this would have been fine with the sun god, if he did not feel so utterly, and helplessly awful.

Being the god of so many different things was awesome, don't underestimate the awesomeness of it, but there were also downsides to it. Being such a wide ruler meant that there was almost always something he could be doing, consistently taking up his time. The only things he really did have time for was the rest and relaxation of sex(though the time thing affected his chances at long term relationships, so many times he would have to sneak out early, leaving the girl, who was practically still in the process of orgasm, to attend to his duties), and bugging Artemis. But one of the biggest things that really irked him, was the switching. Roman, Greek, roman, Greek, anything could trigger the change. _Anything_, whether it be a cold breeze, a warm drink, or having to watch Aphrodite and Ares fornicate openly in the council room. And it was painful. Long nights had been spent, laying in his bed, clutching his middle and groaning out in agony. Absolute torture, to be honest, Apollo would rather serve Hera willingly than experience such torment.

So you see, Apollo loved his sister, and would do anything for her, but the effort was hard to give, when he could not stand or sit in comfort for longer than two seconds at a time.

"Apollo." _Speak of the devil,_ he thought, as he turned and faced his sister, who was sitting in the passenger seat, in her 18 year old form, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Yes, Artemis?" He asked as politely as possible at the moment, which sounded like he was ready to peel the skin from his own face. A pathetic wisp of words to say the least.

"Why are you above my camp?"

"Because Zeus put me here."

"For what purpose?"

"To watch-!" Apollo was cut off above abruptly when he switched to his roman form. Artemis watched, knowing the only thing she could do was comfort him when he returned to his normal self. And he did, quite quickly, but she unable to say anything before he moved his head over the side of the vehicle, praying that the half piece of toast Athena had forced him to eat that morning would not make a second appearance. His throat and stomach tightened, and he gagged slightly, but other than that nothing happened.

Artemis moved over and put a hand on his shoulder for balance as she too stuck her head out over the side and made a face. She leaned back into the car and said thoughtfully, "I think, Apollo, that if you were to be sick now, you would vomit on my camp. But it is evident your body will not allow you to do so now, so I'm not worried."

Now that the stomach crisis was over, Apollo managed a weak smile as he slowly returned to his comfortable seat, "Their loss, even my breakfast is precious."

Artemis quirked an eyebrow at him, "Ill and still arrogant?" She shook her head, "What did you even eat anyways? I didn't see you in the kitchen this morning."

Apollo absently waved his hand, "A half a piece of toast. Athena said that if I didn't eat she would hit me with a dictionary."

"You're scared of a dictionary? From what I can recall, I've hit you with more books than Athena's ever thought too."

"Not just any dictionary, a Webster's College addition. And those things have like a thousand pages. I can't even lift it with one hand."

Artemis opened her mouth to make some witty remark, but closed it and winced when Apollo changed again. The change lasted longer this time, almost 30 seconds, before he changed back to Greek. He cried out as it happened, grasping his abdomen and resting his head against the steering wheel, breathing heavily. Artemis watched as her brother worked through the familiar motions of internal pain while she planned out her decision. Apollo was clearly too ill to do much if there was an attack upon the camp, so keeping him up in the air, in the cold, was useless. He needed to rest. Zeus would be angry if he were to return to Olympus, seeking such relief. Surely the huntresses wouldn't mind bidding him comfort for a night? No, no they wouldn't mind. Artemis knew that beneath the disguise the huntresses actually enjoyed Apollo's visits, and she was sure that they would happily allow him time to heal at the camp.

With a note of finality, Artemis reached out and touched Apollo's shoulder gingerly, "Apollo?"

Apollo merely whimpered in response, not having the energy to produce an efficient answer.

Artemis gripped his shoulder more firmly, "You are going to stay at the camp tonight."

Apollo forced himself to straighten up, just enough to look capable of energy, and stubbornly said, "I'm fine, just gimme a minute."

Artemis, who had expected such an answer, reached over and pushed a button on the console. The car hummed, and began to lower itself to the ground. It took a second, but Apollo noticed this, and opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter so much as a squeak, Artemis grabbed his chin and made full, unbreakable eye contact. She pointed a menacing finger in his face and said, "When I say 'you're staying at the camp' it means, you're staying at the camp. And you will, even if I have to knock you out and _drag_ you, you will."

Apollo opened his mouth to protest further, but closed it with a snap when he switched again.

It took approximately 3 minutes to land, in a clearing not far from the camp. It had been touching the ground for two seconds when Artemis made an attempt at exiting. She tried the door, but being unable to work the lock she settled for simply jumping out over the door, instead of through it. As she made her way to the other side of the vehicle, Apollo managed to unlock his own door, so that she would not have as much trouble helping him through it, as he knew she would.

She pulled open the door and gripped his arm tightly. Apollo tried to help, he really did, but the best he could manage was putting his arm around her shoulders. They walked in quiet conditions, not silent, due to Artemis incessant bickering about how he should've come down to rest sooner, but quiet. The hush of the situation seemed to help the changing, for in those moments of quiet, Apollo didn't switch once, but it didn't last long. Turns out when you don't switch for a few minutes, then switch rapidly, things get worse. Artemis looked up at him, to ask a question, and in the midst of his answer, it happened. His messy blonde locks groomed themselves, his blue t-shirt turned into a military green one, his jeans became camouflage, and an army jacket appeared on his arms. He switched back almost immediately. Artemis reached across to touch a second hand to him, but Apollo pulled back from her quickly, before turning away and retching. Artemis just stood to the side awkwardly as Apollo splattered his breakfast on the ground. Unsure of what else to do, Artemis sent a mental message to Thalia.

-_Thalia?_

_-Yes mi 'lady?_

_-Could you and the others set up a bed in my tent?_

_-Uh…yes, but, why may I ask?_

_-Apollo is ill, he is going to stay at the camp tonight. _

_-Is he alright?_

_-He is fine, I hope. Please, make the bed comfortable, blankets for warmth, water, and a bucket would be good as well. And put a towel over the pillow, but please hurry, we will be there shortly._

_-Yes mi 'lady._

In the back of her mind, Artemis could practically hear Thalia buzzing about, barking orders. She was a loyal and true lieutenant, one she could trust.

Apollo had finished throwing up, and was leaning against a tree, shaking slightly, waiting patiently for Artemis to finish her business.

"Sorry." He muttered sheepishly.

"Its fine, the huntresses are getting you a bed set up in my tent." She told him slowly. Apollo nodded and stood up as best he could, allowing Artemis to half catch him when he swayed to the left. They began to make their way to the camp again, with more success than the last time. It seemed that relieving himself of the impurities in his stomach helped Apollo a little, his abdomen was not throbbing as hard as it had been, and he did not need Artemis for support as much as he had before, though the taste left in his mouth was almost as bad the pain. Perhaps Artemis would gift him with water? He hoped so.

They arrived at the camp in a matter of minutes, and the huntresses were all hovering about the area, creases of worry and confusion were evident in their faces. Apollo and Artemis emerged at the end of the clearing. Apollo's arm was no longer around his sister's shoulders, but his left hand was still resting on it, in case he needed sudden support.

He was not particularly in the mood for questions, which the huntresses would ask plenty of.

"I'm gonna go lay down." He said to Artemis quietly.

She nodded, "I'll be there in a minute, let me just put them at peace."

"Okay." Apollo ducked inside the tent, sighing as the warmth encased him. He hadn't realized how truly cold he was. Artemis however, was not in a place of such comfort. The huntresses were all studying here with the same question.

_What's going on?_

"Apollo is ill, I simply wish to look out for him tonight, as to make sure it's nothing serious." She said firmly. Surprisingly, no one questioned it, instead they shrugged and returned to their tents. Except for Thalia of course, she was curious.

"Mi 'lady," Thalia said as she approached her, "I beg your pardon, but what is really wrong with Lord Apollo? Can you even get mortal sicknesses?"

Artemis sighed and entered the supply tent, "Yes, Thalia, we gods _can _get sick with mortal ailments, and they are not that uncommon, but unfortunately that is not the case."

Thalia followed her as she placed her equipment on the proper racks, "Well then what is the problem?"

"Being between our Roman and Greek halves in this war, Thalia, it's painful. Switching back and forth between personalities, between lifetimes, it is not a comfortable way to be." Artemis said, "Us other gods, with simple duties, like love, war, wisdom, switching between halves for us is not pleasant, but at the same time it is much less often that we change. Apollo however is the god of many things, and his switching is agony. This time around, the switching has made him ill."

Artemis placed her bow in the special spot on the rack that was meant for her bow and her bow only. She turned and smiled at Thalia, before leaving the supply tent and ducking into her own, leaving Thalia to ponder about the severity of the switching.

Artemis stepped inside the main tent area and looked around. Apollo was sitting on the bed the huntresses had put together for him. She was glad to see that the huntresses had thought to use the spare cot they always carried, setting it up so that his head would be near her feet. There were several blankets stacked at one end, two pillows at the other. The stand Artemis always kept at the foot of her bed (for no particular reason) had been used to place a glass of water and rag upon, and, like she'd suggested, a bucket had been placed just beneath the headspace. A quick, portable infirmary, without all the fancy gadgets and bandages. Apollo was just sitting there, looking around blankly. He had removed his shoes, which was good, and stuck them beneath the cot, next to the bucket, and his jacket had been laid on the ground, too warm for the conditions of the tent.

Artemis bustled over and put her hand against Apollo's forehead, then to his cheeks, like mother used to do when they were young. He was warm, not hot, barely detectable, but warm. She looked over at the table, seeing that he had already taken a drink from the water glass and frowned. She didn't really know what to do. She wasn't a doctor, she just knew the fundamentals. Fevers are bad, pressure stops bleeding, that kind of stuff, nothing special.

She took a step back and looked Apollo over. He was sweating, shaking slightly, his face pale and his breathing ragged.

Artemis sighed, "Apollo, why did you not come sooner?"

"Because I thought you would turn me away." He answered quietly.

Artemis bit her tongue, hurt and confusion swirled about inside her, "Why would you think that?"

"Every time I've come to you for comfort before, you've turned me away. Said you had bigger problems than my pain."

Artemis huffed, and flopped down beside her brother, never-minding the strained creak the cot uttered beneath her added weight.

"I'm such a bitch." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Mm," Apollo lifted his feet and laid back on the bed, pushing himself over enough so that she didn't have to change her position or scoot forward, "No you're not, you're just easily annoyed."

Artemis thought about that, and found that he was right, she was easily annoyed. She hadn't always been that way had she? No, she distinctly remembered when she was young, all the things Apollo had always done used to make her laugh, not annoy her. Her and Hermes used to be very close, almost as close as him and Apollo used to be, and still are, whereas now he bowed his head and backed away at the sight of her. Men didn't annoy half as much as they did now, she'd even had a couple that she called boyfriend (but only if Apollo approved of them). Artemis thought as hard as she could, but she could not find them stem of her low tolerance levels. Perhaps she had grown apart from her friends and family? A question sprang to her head, and she turned to Apollo for answers.

"Do you-!" Apollo was laid back on the bed, fast asleep, his mouth slightly ajar. She thought of waking him, but she just sighed, she would have to wait until the morning for her questions to be answered. Instead, Artemis stood and pulled a blanket over him. Laying a hand to his forehead she was greeted with relief, he was not burning up, though she wondered how drastically his temperature could've changed in the last few minutes.

Artemis went over to her own bed and relaxed into it, not to sleep. She was going to stay up a little longer to make sure Apollo would not wake to be sick again, or if he needed something else. A small smile began to play on her lips as she remembered their mother, Leto, caring for them when they were ill as children. Leto had always been so calm, no matter the situation, whether it be cuts and scrapes or fevers and sweat. She never seemed to worry, an admirable trait. Artemis missed her mother, and she wished for nothing more than for her to be here right now, helping her care for her brother.

Artemis felt herself begin to drift off, and allowed it. It had been a long tiresome day, sleep called to her, pulling her deeper and farther away from awareness, she didn't even realize that Apollo switched again, and groaned uncomfortably. She was out in a matter of minutes.

…..

Artemis woke late the next morning, much later than she usually would, and the change of lighting in the tent made it hard to register the time. Instead of standing and waking up fully, she went for just blinking and moving her head around, absorbing the tents condition. Seeing that nothing was out of place she let hers eyes drift over to the cot on which she had last seen Apollo sleep. Apollo was not on the cot, but on the ground beside it. He had put his shoes on, and was now sitting on the ground holding a half of a sandwich as Thalia chatted away from her seat beside him. He wasn't eating the sandwich, she noticed, just picking at it. He looked a bit better this morning. He wasn't sweating from what she could tell, and enough color had returned to his face that he actually looked like a person, and not a mannequin that you would see in a clothing store with their pale plastic faces.

Artemis stretched and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning." Apollo said. His voice was still raspy, but better none the less. She smiled back at him and stood, stretched again, before going over and seating herself on Apollo's other side, giving Thalia a kind smile. He offered her his sandwich half, but she waved it away.

"Do you not like it?" Thalia asked looking between Apollo and the sandwich.

"No- its fine. I'm just not that hungry," He held it out to Thalia, "Do you want it?"

"Yeah." Thalia accepted the sandwich and sank her teeth into it. Gathering her things, she stood and said, "I will give you two time."

"Thanks Thalia." Apollo said gratefully.

Thalia smiled, "No problem. Have a good morning."

Thalia exited my tent, munching away on her sandwich.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Artemis asked Apollo curiously. Artemis knew that of all the hunters Thalia was the only one who really enjoyed Apollo's visits (even though he had scared the living hell out of her the first time they met), not that the other entirely disliked him, and she knew that Apollo and Thalia had a lot of the same interests, but it still made her slightly uncomfortable when they were alone for unknown amounts of time. It wasn't that Artemis didn't trust her brother, but Apollo was aware of the sexual effect he had on women, and more than once he had used such knowledge to seduce them into a bed.

"Nothing really. I went to raise the chariot this morning, got that done, and I ran into Thalia on the way back. We walked and talked, she was really interested in the chariot actually, I had no idea how much she knew about cars. But, yeah, we came back, she made sandwiches and we just kinda chilled out in here." He reached up and rubbed his eye.

"Okay," Artemis said slowly, processing the information she had just received, "Do you feel any better this morning? You look better."

"Yeah, I feel a lot better. Still nauseous though, and a little tired. My shift's over, I'll probably head back to Olympus in a bit, catch some more shut eye." Apollo leaned his head against the edge of the cot. Artemis could see the darker skin beneath his eyes, which could easily lead to full blown circles if he didn't rest more, and the arrogance was gone, in Apollo the loss of arrogance could indicate that something was up.

"Hey Arty?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Artemis frowned, "For what?"

"Taking care of me," Apollo said, looking at her, "I felt horrible."

Artemis smiled, "That's good."

Apollo gave her a funny look, and she laughed, "No, you feeling horrible isn't good, definitely not good, I meant that you came for help."

He frowned, "I didn't _come _for help, you made me."

"Fine, maybe I did, but Apollo if you need anything, anything at all, you can come here." Artemis said. She was still slightly upset that Apollo had been under the impression that she didn't care for him.

"…..Okay," Apollo spoke with a small smile, "Imma go."

He pulled her in for a side hug and pressed a fond kiss to her forehead. Using the side of the cot, he pulled himself up, zipped his jacket, and left with a wave.

Artemis stayed sitting beside the cot, just staring at the tent opening. She could not remember the last time Apollo had hugged her, or kissed her forehead for that matter. They had to have been children when he did, because the memory was either nonexistent or extremely hard to find….. Whatever it made smile, and that smile stayed glued to her face all day long. And the next day, and the next, and the next.

But her smile streak came to an abrupt stop when Apollo burnt all the tents supports as a joke.

Then she chased him with shoe.


End file.
